


Through Mud and Blood

by QueensOfSorrows



Category: The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, F/M, Graphic Violence, Hunger Games, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Love, Minor Character Death, Reviews are welcomed, Romance, explicit - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2019-09-30 09:51:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17221691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueensOfSorrows/pseuds/QueensOfSorrows
Summary: Raina Meridian was lucky enough to have her brother and Finnick Odair raise her and train her. When she gets reaped for the Hunger Games, Raina has a massive advantage on the other tributes but isn’t about to reveal that to any of them. She learns that this year, for the 73rd Annual Hunger Games, the Gamemakers have decided to switch things up and Raina is now stuck with two of the most barbaric winners from District 2. Raina thought winning was going to be easy... she was dead wrong.





	1. I’ll Win For You

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Hunger Games fanfic so please be gentle! Reviews, good or bad are very much appreciated. Just to clarify, in my version of the Games the tributes spend one month in the Capitol to train before going to the arena.
> 
> HERE ARE REFERENCES FOR MY CHARACTERS.  
> Raina: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/789044797192187972/  
> Or look up Maria Zhgenti  
> Tammer: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c8/90/e1/c890e17abcd53fc9c79f10a18ebb522e.jpg  
> Lidila: http://tall-white-aliens.com/?attachment_id=142  
> Thomras: https://www.viewbug.com/contests/faces-photo-contest-by-focal-press/5262228

The tightness of her dress shirt was an unwelcoming feeling as she was so used to baggy, dirt covered overalls. She wore a plain white blouse with a tiny bow on either side of her collar. Her navy blue skirt was somewhat more comfortable, it rested gently on her knees and she could easily twirl in it, though she still preferred pants. Looking at her reflexion in her partially shattered mirror, Raina couldn’t help but sigh: her hair was a mess of long light brown waves and even in the low bun she had spent a good ten minutes on, it resembled more of a birds nest than anything else.

When she noticed the other children making their way to reaping, Raina stalked into the tiny run down kitchenette where her older brother sat, anxiously waiting for her. They didn’t say anything to each other, no words needed to be said between the two bound to the hips siblings. Tammer was the only family she had left, he was unimaginably tall and muscular, if Raina wasn’t related to him, she would be deathly scared of him... much like everyone else was. He stood and wrapped his arms around her, giving her a long hug, the warmth her brother gave her soothed any nerves she had within her. When they separated, Tammer patted her gently on the top of her head, before leading her to the door where Raina slipped on her only good shoes - white flats - then, they left their small cabin. 

Being eighteen in one month, Raina was placed near the back on the now crowd area of the potential tributes. Raina looked around until she heard the loud clicks of heels hitting the podium, her attention turned back to the front where her faith now layed. A tall, slender woman, wearing an extravagant gold and red feather gown with a strange multicoloured headpiece stood in front of all of District 4, her skin so pale, she probably could disappear in the snow. She coughed loudly to grab everyone’s attention before starting her annual speech, followed by the same bullshit message from President Snow. 

“Wasn’t that so inspirational!” the woman chirped, her high pitched voice resonating. “Now the time has come to select one courageous man and woman for the honour of representing District 4 in the 73rd annual Hunger Games!” She gave a bright smile to the gloomy crowd then shifted towards the girls before her. “As usual, ladies first!” The lady shuffled to the bowl filled with names and Raina prayed her name wouldn’t be called, her name was only there 10 times, which wasn’t as bad as some. 

After ruffling around a bit, the Capital lady plucked out a name and shuffled back to the microphone and announced: “Raina Meridian!”

The echo of her name still rang in her ear. The other girls around her had spread, letting her room to pass and stand on the podium, but none of her muscles moved, she simply stared at the overly dressed Capitol lady, that still had the insensitive smile on her face. Raina made sure to show no emotions, even though her soul had shattered in a million pieces. 

“Where are you my dear?” The Capitol escort questioned, looking about the crowd of girls; when they made eye contact the lady extended her arms towards her. “Come now dear, no need to be shy!” But Raina wasn’t shy, she simply felt sick. “You can do this.” A girl next to her whispered, pushing her in the middle of the ally. Swallowing harshly the bile in her throat, Raina slowly made her way to the podium, taking the ladie’s hand to help her get up the stairs. The rest of the ceremony was blurr, the only thing Raina remembered was the male tribute, a 13 year old boy named Thomras Laphodill. On the outside, she looked unphased by the fact the she was being sent to her death it seemed like it didn’t bother her one bit.

After shaking hands with the male tribute, Peacekeepers brought her into a plain looking room which only held a couple of chairs, a small table and a box of tissues. She didn’t have to wait long before Tammer burst in, taking her into a bone crushing hug. Raina returned his embrace, holding on as tight as she could. Light tears ran down her face, the knowledge that this could well be the last time she would ever see him, hold him finally hitting her. Tammer had raised her, trained her, made her the woman she was today, without him, she wouldn’t be here.

“I’ll win.” She whispered, “I’ll win for you Tam.” She was sobbing now, trying to take in every inch of her brother. How he smelled like lavender and sea salt, his long golden hair always tied in a loose ponytail, his sea-themed tattoos that littered his arms, deep grey eyes and thin lips.

“I know you will.” Tammer told her, his tone as equally low as hers. Raina could tell he was on the brink of tears and the simple thought that Tammer, who had next to no emotions, was close to tears nearly made her want scream in sadness. “You’re strong Guppy, you’ll survive.” They broke apart when a sharp knock was heard on the door, signalling it was time to wrap it up.

“Mom wanted you to have this when the time was right, pretty sure this is as good any.” Tammer said, clearing his throat. He handed her a small purple velvet box and watched as her expression turned from one of sadness to curiosity. Raina opened the box slowly and let out a sweet chuckle. More tears escaped her eyes and she gave her brother a warm smile. 

“Mom’s wedding ring...”

“She told me she wanted you to have it, she probably would have prefered I give it to a potential husband but this is better, this feels more right.” 

Raina closed the box and returned into her brother’s arms. The door finally burst open and she sent Tammer all her love as he was jerked away. She was immediately escorted to the train and was all but pushed on the metal contraption. Her mind was still racing as she boarded, but it seemed to clear when she caught sight of the inside. Pastries, alcohol, fresh fruits, plush seats and grand chandeliers adorned what Raina guessed was the common area. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before, she felt like she was being pampered before being sent to the slaughter house. She hesitantly sat on one of the chairs and was soon joined by Thomras and the Capitol lady named Lidila.

“Now, I want you both to enjoy everything Panem will have to offer and that starts now, anything you see that you like you can eat understood?” Neither her or Thomras answered, making Lidila shift uneasily. “Alright then, I’ll be right back” And with the she shuffled away deeper into the cars of the train.

“We’re going to die.” Thomras whispered, the boys eyes were red and puffy like hers, his voice just starting to change. Raina switched seats so that she sat on the other side if the loveseat the boy was on and patted his knee. She didn’t know what to do or what to tell him. She knew he was probably right but she wanted to go back to her brother, she needed to go back to Tammer

A few minutes later, Lidila came back to the District 4 tributes, a sour expression on her face. Both simply stared at the pale woman as she paced rigorously before them. 

“Rules have changed this year.” Lidila said, turning to face them. “I was surprised to see that your mentors weren’t hear to greet you, so I went to check where Finnick and Mags were... Turns out the Gamemakers decided to switch it up this year and tributes will have mentors from another District.” Raina could see that the woman was fuming which was understandable. She had hoped to see Finnick and Mags, especially Finnick since she knew him personally. He and Tammer had been best friends from the time they were toddlers and even after Finnick had won his games the two had remained close, he had help Tammer raise her.

“Who’s replacing them?” Raina asked, her expression stoic.

Lidila sighed and sat across from her. “District two winners Brutus Maze and Cato Hadley.”


	2. Rule Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to make Brutus’ last name Maze because I couldn’t find it, so if you know it please tell me in the comments below. Also, in this chapter I added some District 2 victors since we only know about like three of them.
> 
> Please don’t be afraid to leave a comment positive or constructive... Ideas are always welcomed :)
> 
> CHARACTER REFERENCES  
> Cato: http://www.fringuesdeseries.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/AlexanderLudwig_Retouched_0009.jpg  
> Magnir: https://onbeing.org/blog/kaya-oakes-we-are-not-middle-aged-what-medieval-women-taught-me-about-my-40s/  
> Josell: https://stumptownblogger.typepad.com/.a/6a010536b86d36970c017617005fcd970c-pi

Cato groaned when he heard a sharp knock on his door. He buried his face deeper into his feather stuffed pillow, hoping that whoever stood on the other side of the door would leave. When he thought the person had left, the door busted open, slamming harshly on the wall. Cato’s body twisted towards the entrance of his bedroom in shock and annoyance. Enobaria stood at the end of his bed, brows furrowed and her arms crossed with an angry expression plastered on her face.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Cato roared, pulling his covers away, bolting up. He wasn’t a morning person and being woken up in this fashion with the addition of his now busted door made him more than angry, he was furious. 

“We got a meeting dipshit, we’re all waiting for you.” Enobaria told him, her voice voided of any emotions. 

Cato’s anger slowly left his body when he realised that the dark skinned woman was right. He’d completely forgotten, having drank himself into oblivion with a couple of friends the previous night. His stance relaxed and his gaze returned cold. He gave Enobaria a sharp nod, signaling he was going to get ready then went straight for the bathroom, leaving his fellow victor alone.

Locking the door behind him, he swiftly removed his trunks and stepped into the shower. 

He washed his body quickly, knowing he’d get another visit from the sharp teethed woman if he didn’t hurry and dressed himself even faster. He grabbed black jeans that molded his legs and ass perfectly and a plain white t-shirt. Downstairs he slipped on his shoes and leather jacket then left the comfort of his home, slamming the door behind him. Enobaria was waiting for him at the edge of the Victors Village and when he met with her, neither said a word, they simply walked towards the Justice building in total silence. Once there, he followed her to the second floor and into a large conference room. All living Victors were seated around the large rectangular table in silence with Seneca Crane who sat at the end.

“Well look who finally decided to show up.” Lyme growled, twisting her chair towards Cato. Enobaria had left his side, taking a seat next to Brutus while he remained there, being glared at by the other Victors. 

He only shrugged, taking the empty seat next to her.

“Well...” Crane said, breaking the tense silence. “Now we may begin.”

Lyme, Enobaria, Brutus, Magnir, Josell and himself turned their attention to the main Gamemaker, all confused as to why they were all summoned here.

“To keep things short, everyone is getting bored of seeing tributes from District 1 and 2 win, so much so that the viewings have gone down.”

Brutus and Magnir scoffed at that notion. In the back of his mind, Cato was glad that the Capitol was watching the games less and less, it brought hope to those who - like himself - hated the games and prayed for a second revolution. He never voiced this though, as most of his fellow Victors loved watching the games and mentoring tributes so much that they made it into a whole District 2 party. Only he and Lyme never really liked that concept they had simply sat and watched quietly.

“Therefore the Capitol has decided that this year - as somewhat of a trial period, tributes will be mentored by members from another District.”

In a matter of seconds, the room erupted in anger. Brutus and Enobaria were less then happy since they were the ones that had been chosen to mentor this year. Whilst Brutus and Enobaria yelled and threw anything they could get their hands on across the room, Josell shook his head his hands resting under his chin. Lyme showed no emotions she didn’t seem pissed or pleased, she nodded at Seneca and continued watching the scene before her. 

“Before you both kill the poor man, could it be possible for us to know which Tributes we will be mentoring?” Magnir asked nonchalantly, crossing her figures on the table before her. “And we can redecide who will be their mentors then.” She continued. The room was now quiet, Magnir had a way of making everyone around listen to her. Her voice was warm and rich, it fit well with her light chocolate complexion.

When everyone’s temper seemed under control, Seneca spoke up: “District 2 will be mentored by District 12 and you will be mentoring District 4.”

No one spoke this time as they processed the information. 

“Zeb and Devri will be mentored by a fucking drunk...” Josell said, his voice harsh yet soft.

“I’ve seen these two train, they would barely need us anyways.” Lyme added, trying to apease the fire that seemed to be growing in Brutus once more. “Would it be possible to see the reaping from District 4?” She asked, turning her focus to Crane. The Gamemaker, who looked positively uncomfortable gave a short nod and turned on the screen on the left side of the room. Cato turned around and leaned back on his chair, bringing his ankle to his other knee. He watched as Lidila did her little show on the podium before calling out the female tribute named Raina Meridian. At the back the girls seemed to part, which meant that the girl was either 17 or 18 years of age. Then he noticed her when she was pushed by another girl. Raina showed absolutely no expression, she even seemed bored by the whole thing. At the back was a gigantic beast of a man trying to shove his way towards the girl, it took six other males to hold him back. Cato eyed the girl carefully, she was obviously fit; her legs seemed quick and her arms looked strong. Her ass was also an amazing bonus, but Cato would never admit that out loud. The boy wasn’t much to look at either but there was potential, if he had another 5 years to train. When the clip ended Magnir, Lyme and Cato faced back the other Victors.

“I want us to pick this year’s mentors again.” Enobaria said, clearly unimpressed with her choice of tributes. Everybody agreed without question and they all scribbled their names on a piece of paper before shoving it into Josell melon hat. It was also agreed that Josell would not mentor anymore as he was too old and sore for this kind of duty, therefore he had the honours of picking the Mentors.

Josell, tossed the names around in his hat then pulled a slip out and without looking at it said: “Will this be for the male or female tribute?”

“Let’s go for the scrawnt kid first.” Enobaria spat, still standing up

The older man opened the slip and sighed while shaking his head. “Brutus.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake. Fucking great...” He growled, shoving his chair away with his foot. Josell ignored that little outburst and picked another name. 

“With the girl is gonna be Cato.”


	3. Let Alone, One As Gorgeous As This One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don’t forget to leave a comment! Reviews, good or bad are always welcomed.
> 
> CHARATER REFERENCES:
> 
> Drix: Danny DeVito  
> Hairstyle: https://hairdoes.co/best-review/greek-hairstyles-for-long-hair/  
> Dress: http://www.nouvellemodetendance.com/asaf-dadush-2018-robes-de-mariee/ (5th picture)  
> Tattoo: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/f2/a8/57/f2a8578260dc1da08a66dbfdb3a4c285--moon-phase-tattoo-moon-phases-back-tattoo.jpg  
> Makeup: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/594686325766660206/

“Why aren’t they here?” Raina asked, her brows furrowed. Lidila scratch her head, not really knowing what to answer the young girl.

“They should have been here regardless as they were informed of the changes in advance. Maybe they’ll meet us at the station.” Raina doubted that but decided to not question her escort who seemed already flustered and in panic mode. She wasn’t in the mood for Lidila’s whining or in the mood for any company in fact, therefore she retreated to her room with a bundle of food wrapped in a large towel and called it a night. Right before going to bed, Raina spotted a paper notepad with a golden pen next to her dresser. She picked them up and started drawing something that was very dear to her, one of her best memories as a child.

The next day she was woken up by a large thud on her door. Raina sat up, rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands before getting up and opening the door for whoever was on the other side. She wasn’t surprised to see Lidila standing there, but the outfit in her hands did.

“Finnick sent you this for when you step out of the train, he wanted you to wear it, thought you would like it.” The Capitol escort told her sweetly, handing her the dress. “Now get dressed and meet us for breakfast we’re almost here.”

Raina simply nodded and watched the pale woman go. She closed the door behind her and laid the dress in the bed, grinning widely at the clothing in front of her. It was the one she had been eyeing a long time at a shop back at District 4, but she had been too poor to get it. It was a light pink summer dress that hugged her waist tightly and became looser at the hips, it ran down to her knees with off-the-shoulder long lacy sleeves. It was simple and beautiful. She slipped it on and was happy to see it was a perfect fit, she let her hair fall freely down to the small of her back tucking one side behind her left ear, showing her abnormal piercing. Content with her appearance, Raina sauntered to the common room and sat opposite of Thomras and Lidila.

“We’re just a few minutes out!” Lidila cheered, clapping her hands wildly. Raina showed no excitement, nor dread in fact she showed nothing; she looked around and picked a few pieces of fruit and placing them on her plate, but she made no effort to try to eat. When Lidila noticed this, she motioned to the food in front of her. “Hurry up child, you need to be at full strength.”

Raina decided to take Lidila’s advice and eat; even though she wasn’t very hungry in the mornings. Lidila started going over the schedule she and Thomras had today. Her head was spinning as she listed everything that was going to happen: An extensive grooming session followed by the tributes entrance/ opening ceremony. She also explained vaguely what would happen in the next month following today. Raina stopped listening after a while... she and the other tributes were basically going to be show ponies for the next month before the arena, and she wasn’t quite giddy about the idea. She had her sketch from the previous night on her lap, the memory was significant to her and this drawing felt like a little piece from home.

“Oh! We’re here!” Lidila squealed, rushing to the window. Raina stayed in her seat as she felt the train coming to a halt, Thomras was at the window, waving and smiling at the patrons of the Capitol, making them fawn all over him. She could hear some screaming her name, but Raina couldn’t bring herself to rise.

“Come on my darlings, it’s time.”

Raina rose painfully slow from her seat and joined Lidila and Thomras. The Capitol native got down first, introducing the tributes from District 4.

Thomras got off first, he seemed to be in his element. He waved and smiled, he even shook a few hands and gave a few hugs. When Raina descended, her face showed nothing, not fear or happiness, not anger or resentment... nothing. She walked with poise and strength, as if she was somehow above all this show poney bullshit. A little after the half-way point, Raina stopped in her tracks and clutched her drawing. She turned slowly to her left and gazed at a boy who was waving and calling her name. He had light blue hair all swooped to one side of his face and ran down to his chest, the boy couldn’t have been more than ten years of age. Without thinking, she stepped towards him and grabbed his little hand.

“What’s your name?” Raina asked softly, her features breaking into a small smile.

“Merloony, miss.” The boy breathed, bouncing up and down in excitement and nervousness.

“I’ve got something for you Merloony,” Raina stepped a bit closer to the boy turned his hand so that his palm was facing upwards. “If it weren't for the rocks in its bed, the stream would have no song.” She whispered to him, placing her folded up drawing in his hand. He looked at her then his hand then back at her rather confused by her words, but he smiled at her nonetheless. Raina cupped his face and winked at him, before continuing her way.

Once inside, she was escorted to a small room. Its walls were lined with shelves filled with beauty products and odd tools, at the back was a large open shower and a metal bed was in the middle of the room. The place looked like an operating room, it looked sterile and cold. Raina was told to wear an ugly medical gown that left her ass for show, she put her clothes in a pile near the door and sat down on the bed, the coldness of the metal chilling her bottom. A few minutes passed before two capitol ladies stormed in the room, dressed in flamboyant gowns with extravagant wigs. Raina thought they looked like side show freaks.

“Hello dear, I’m Leelay and this is Laylee.” The taller one said, coming over to her. Raina didn’t have time to greet them or ask any questions, the capitol sisters hoisted her up, dragging her to the shower and then asked her to strip down. It took Raina several seconds to process what they had asked her to do. She was comfortable enough in her body, she just didn’t like the prospect of showing it to two complete strangers. Exhaling loudly, Raina untied her gown and tossed it away. She refused to meet the womens gazes while they hosed her down, she was scrubbed down until her skin was red and felt raw.

The shorter one — Laylee, went around to her backside and gasped, arousing some panic within Raima.

“What’s wrong?” Raina questioned, twisting her body towards Laylee.

The woman gave a large smile, her fingers resting on her lips “Oh nothings wrong dear, we weren’t told you had a tattoo... let alone one as gorgeous as this one.” Raina smiled at that, thinking about the day she had gotten her back tattoo. It had been a gift from Finnick for her sixteenth birthday. It had a deep meaning for her even though Tammer had been positively furious with both of them. She loved that tattoo.

“Thank you.” Raina replied softly, giving the lady a small smile. Leelay and Laylee continued their harsh scrubbing then they were about to shave her but Raina stopped them before they could start.

“Could you use something that prevents the hair from ever growing back?” Raina questioned somewhat shyly, but she hated her body hair and if these women could give her the chance to be free of hair then she would gladly take it.

“Of course dear!” The shorter chirped, clapping her hands happily together. “No one has ever asks for that treatment before... Oh! Leelay I’m so excited!” The taller one agreed, rushing to go get the right supplies. When her leg, armpit, pubic hair were lazored off, they hosed Raina down one last time. They dried her off and tackled what the sisters called ‘a mess that was created by a thunderstorm’ or in other words her hair, coiffing it in gentle waves pinning it back in a low bun with loose strands falling about.

After that, the twins left, only saying that a man called Drix would be with her shortly. Raina sat on the metal bed in her gown and waited patiently for the next step in her thorough transformation. She was about to step out to ask what was going to happen next when a short plump man entered the room, Leelay and Laylee by his side caring a rack with different garments and a handful of cases.

The man stood in front of her, quite close to her personal space and grinned at her, taking her hands in his. “You are as exquisite as they said.” The man spoke so low, in total awe of her and Raina didn’t know what to do, so she sat there giving him a blank expression, mostly out of confusion than anything else. The man she assumed was Drix made her stand and walked around her a couple of times mumbling to himself, tapping his chin with his finger. “We cannot take away from your beauty with extravagant couture, oh no... we cannot have that.” He told her stopping in front of her.

He waddled to the rack and took out a simple white gown and helped Raina slip it on. She wasn’t afraid of being nude in front of Drix as he obviously wasn’t attracted to women whatsoever. The dress had thin straps that crossed on her back, leaving was of it bare. Its bodice was crochet lace, low cut which revealed a large amount of her breasts. The bottom was made of soft and layered flowing chiffon and shimmery tulle giving the ensemble a romantic yet simple feel. It also showed her lunar cycle tattoo. The shoes she was given were plain white stilettos that were mostly covered by the dress. She was given pearl bands that wrapped around her biceps and had pearls glued to her body.

Her makeup was delicate as well; her lids were a gradient from pink to gold, her water line was a deep turquoise and with a thin black liner and fake lashes her look was complete. Drix also applied a peachy colour to her lips to make them look more plump.

“So, what do you think?” Drix asked Raina, bringing her in front of a mirror. Seeing her reflexion in the mirror, Raina was stunned at the transformation. She felt beautiful, elegant, powerful... and she told him as much, thanking him for his marvelous work. “Don’t thank me just yet sweet pearl, I have one last piece.”

Drix trotted to the cases and retrieved from it a seashell crown. It had five long auger shells with pearls and diamonds in between. He fastened it in her hair then turned her back to the mirror.

“Drix, I’m truly speechless.” Raina breath, placing a hand on her chest. She felt like a Goddess.

“Sweet, sweet pearl, this is all you.” He replied, placing a hand on her shoulder. “C’mon now, we don’t want to make people waiting now do we.” And with that, he guided her out of the room to where horse pulled chariots awaited.

Every tribute was ready and talking when Raina arrived, she parted with Drix and the twins and joined Thomras who matched her to the tee. He wore an auger shell crown that resembled hers, his sleeveless shirt was sheer, his pants a sandy beige. He too had pearls all over his arms as well as the side of his face.

“Wow Raina,” Thomras gasped upon seeing her. “You look so beautiful.”

She gave him a sweet smile, taking him into her arms. “You look pretty handsome yourself.” She let go of him and tensed, sensing someone starring at her. She looked around and when her gaze landed on the source, Raina held her breath. The boys from District 1 and 2 were looking at her with lust filled eyes. It made her feel uncomfortable and disgusting, but she would never let them know that, so Raina looked back at them nonchalantly trying her best not to show her discomfort.

“Well well well, looks like little guppy is all grown up.” A smooth voice came from behind her. Raina grinned widely, knowing exactly who the voice belonged to.

“Finnick!” Raina cheered, turning around and bringing the man into a bone crushing hug. Finnick groan but hugged her back tightly. They hadn’t seen each other in almost a month and Finnick being like an older brother to her, she had missed him dearly. “I’m so glad you’re here, I was so disappointed when they told us they were changing the mentors.”

Finnick pulled her closer, he too had missed her, he had hoped he would get to continue their personal training like the one he and Tammer used to do back home. He had hoped he would be able to watch over and bring her back safely to her brother. All three of them were so close and without Raina life just wouldn’t be the same.

“Where are Brutus and Cato?” Finnick asked, pulling away from her. Thomras was beside them watching the whole scene in awe.

“We haven’t seen them yet.” The boy answered, looking around to see if their mentors had magically showed up. Finnick frowned, he too looking around the room.

“They’re probably already at the mentors viewing section.” He was about to say more when the tributes were asked to embark on the chariots. Finnick help Raina get on, giving her hand one last squeeze before leaving to go to the stands.


	4. What Took You So Long

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry about the extremely long update. I’ve had majour writers block for the chapters ahead and I’ve been trying to write something that makes sense. Anyways, enjoy and leave a comment!

Raina was asked to look bored by the whole event, that attitude was apparently the shtick she would have to stick with throughout the next month of training and interviews. She did just that, while she was asked to look unfazed, Thomras had been asked to wave and smile, sending kisses to the crowd. His gimic was being lovable.

She looked ahead until they reached President Snow. As soon as her chariot stopped she felt that similar uneasiness she had felt back at the entrance, the boy from District 2 was looking at her disgustingly, like earlier. Raina kept her face cold and stared right back at him, unwavering, even as he licked his lips slowly even when he winked at her. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from him, afraid that it would show how uncomfortable she felt. Raina knew what he was thinking about, and she wanted to cry, she wanted to scream and hide from this boy. For a moment she wasn’t scared about dying, she was scared about what he would do to her in the arena if they were to face each other. Just by the look of him Raina knew he would torture her, defile her... Just like her father had tried.

It was the jerk of her carriage that made Raina look away, she knew she was still being broadcast by the cameras and everyone could still see her, so she stayed cool and collected.

Lidila met with her and Thomras right when they came to a full stop and Raina couldn’t be happier to see the pale capitol escort. Lidila intertwined her arms with theirs, one tribute on each side, rambling on about how amazing they had looked. But Raina didn't hear any of it as she could still feel the boys gaze on her, it was only until the elevator doors closed did Raina relaxed. She shut her eyes and let out a long shaky breath. She clutched her chest, feeling her heart pounding rapidly.

“Oh dear, are you OK?” Lidila asked, noticing Raina’ sudden ghostly complexion.

“Ya, I'm fine,” she lied, giving Lidila her best smile. “I just need to get out of these clothes.” The elevator doors opened and the three of them stepped out. There was a short corridor with two doors on either side, Lidila opened the right one and ushered Raina and Thomras in.

“Where's my room?” Raina asked immediately, not even bothering to take in her new loft.

“Down the hallway, last door on the right.” Lidila replied, noting the urgency of Raina's request. Raina slipped off her shoes, who had been killing her, and walked as casually as possible to her room. She passed the living room and was about to head down the hallway when she was stopped.

“Raina dear, aren't you going to say hello to your mentors?” Lidila asked, standing near the dinning table which was behind the couch where Brutus and Cato had been sitting. She had been so immersed in her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed the two beasts of men standing in the middle of the place. Raina turned to face Lidila who motioned to her mentors with a nod of the head. Her gaze moved from her escort to the men, a blank look on her face.

Brutus was older, slightly shorter than Cato but more muscular. He had his arms crossed, his eyes glaring at her... filled with disdain. Cato on the other hand looked bored, he was leaning on a beam and only nodded at her when their eyes met.

Not knowing what to do, Raina blinked a few times then made her way to her room. She locked the door as soon as she was inside and let out another shaky breath. She leaned on the door for support as her body started trembling. Slowly, she took off her bracelets and crown, letting her hair go free. She tossed her accessories on the dresser to her right and looked inside to see if she had clothes in there. Raina was grateful when she saw the dresser filled with different pieces of clothing, She grabbed pajama bottoms, a long sleeved shirt and underwear then went straight for the shower.

She all but tore the dress from her body, she ripped the pearls from her skin, not caring about the sting it brought her. Raina stepped in the shower and groaned when she saw the amount of unmarked buttons on the shower wall. She pressed one after the other each as useless as the last. When she found the right button for a warm shower, Raina nearly cheered. The relief the water brought her as it traveled down her body was well needed. She washed her hair and face thoroughly to remove all the gunk the twins and Drix had slapped on her. Even when she was free of all the beauty products, Raina stayed in the shower, she couldn’t get rid of the image of the boy from District 2 and the way he looked at her. She crumbled to the ground in a ball and cried. She sobbed just loud enough that the others wouldn’t hear her. Her whole body shook violently as her past came by to haunt her, Raina tried to push the thought of her father in the back of her mind, but because of that boy, everything was coming back, the pain ten times stronger than before.

She stayed in the shower until she had no more tears to shed, she stepped out dried herself then wrapped her hair in a towel hat and slipped on a dark blue matching set of bra and panties, her khaki pajama short were made of silk and were slightly to big for her. Her shirt was plain and white made of soft, thick cotton. Getting out of the bathroom, Raina unwrapped her towel hat letting her light brown hair fall down her back. She grabbed a hair brush, slipped on white fluffy slippers then joined everyone back in the living room hoping no one had heard her cry.

Thomras was sitting next to Brutus on the couch, he too out of his entrance clothes and into black sweat pants and a red t-shirt. He looked uncomfortable next to the Brute of a man. Lidila was pacing behind the couch while Cato and Brutus simply lounged, watching TV.

“Finally!” Lidila said, exasperated. “You should be ashamed young lady, ignoring your mentors like that and making them wait 50 minutes too!” Had she really been in the shower that long? Raina couldn’t tell, she had been so lost in her thoughts that time seemed to cease to exist. She continued brushing the tips of her damp hair, staring at the pale capitolian.

“Lost track of time.” She mumbled, plopping down on a lazy boy furthest away from the District 2 mentors.

“Apologize for being so rude to your mentors!” Lidila’s voice was getting higher and higher as she became more frustrated with her female tribute.

“Why would I do that when they haven’t even bothered to meet us until they were literally forced too? Not off the train, or when we got to the Capitol. Or how about before we got prept as show poneys, or even after the ceremony was over?” She spat back, brushing her hair a bit more vigorously than needed. Thomras was holding back a grin, while Lidila and Brutus looked positively offended by her words. Raina’s gaze caught Cato’s who had the faintest hint of a smirk on his lips. When Lidila didn’t answer Raina continued. “I did see Finnick though and even while he could’ve stayed with his tributes he came to see me to see how I was doing. So no, I will not apologize for going to take a well-deserved shower after standing in the hot sun, in heels with the smell of horse shit wafting in my nose, listening to Snow’s boring speech while being stared at like a piece of meat by the boys of District 1 and 2.”

Brutus’s face had turned bright red his fists were clenched at his side, his eyes sent daggers. “Watch who you’re talking too girl.” He growled, making his way in front of her. Raina was in a truly foul mood and the bald mentor only added to sour it even more. She shot up, squaring her shoulders, never breaking eye contact with him.

“I have a name. Which you would know if you and pretty boy over there had bothered to show up and do your job.” She spat back, hands on her hips, hair brush discarded on the lazy boy.

“You will speak to your mentors with respect gir-“

“Respect is earned and as far as I’m concerned you don’t deserve a lick of it from me especially since you can’t be bothered to know my fucking name.”

They both argued like this back and forth for a good amount of time while Lidila was trying but failing to defuse the situation, Cato decided to sit next to Thomras who seemed entertained by the whole ordeal.

“Is she always like this?” Cato asked, leaning in towards the boy so only Thomras could hear him. The boy scoffed, grinning back at him.

“I don’t know her well, but I’ve seen her in a few arguments like this one...” He paused, looking back at Raina and Brutus who were nearly touching chests. “She usually ends up destroying the other person verbally, it’s always amazing to watch.”

Cato’s lips turned slightly upwards, it seemed unnatural for this girl - who seemingly showed no emotions - to have such a sharp tongue. So he leaned back and watched the verbal battle play out. Raina remained mostly calm, glaring or scoffing when Brutus said something ridiculous. Cato had never seen someone stand up to Brutus like that, not even Enobaria dared to enrage him the way she had, and he liked her all the more for it.

Then it became ugly when Brutus stabbed his finger in Raina’s shoulder. Her normally light green eyes became dark, and she slapped his hand away. When Brutus repeated his move, seeing as it had pissed her off, their verbally altercation quickly became violent.

Cato shot up stepping quickly towards them.

“ENOUGH!” His shout was deafening and powerful. Raina and Brutus both became silent and shot their gaze towards him. “That’s enough out of both of you.” he continued, his voice back to normal. “We’re going to be stuck together for a month, so you both need to figure out a way of getting along.”

Cato turned to Lidila, who gave him a sad smile, thanking him for putting a stop to the fighting. Just then, food was placed on the table and Lidila asked everyone to sit down for supper. Raina sat next to Thomras, Lidila sat at the end of the table while Cato sat in front of Raina with Brutus facing Thomras.

To say supper was awkward was an understatement. The only thing that could be heard was the sound of cutlery hitting plates.

“I want to know why.” Raina said, breaking the silence.

“Know what dear?” Lidila asked, taking a sip of her wine.

Raina leaned back on her chair, nesting her own glass. “I want to know why neither of you came to see us. We needed you as our mentors and you both weren’t there.” Cato was sure he could see some hurt in her eyes, he knew she was strong, but she, like most, must have been scared.

“Let’s not start this again.” Lidila said sternly, her face hardening.

“I think it’s a fair question.” Cato interjected, wiping the edge of his mouth with a napkin. “To be honest we just couldn’t be bothered because we know you both won’t survive pass the bloodbath.” He told them honestly, never breaking eye contact with the girl in front of her. To his surprise, Raina nodded. With one large gulp she finished her wine and continued to eat. The rest of supper was passed in a more comfortable aura.

“I heard we had access to the roof, is that correct?” Raina asked, getting up to clear her plate.

“Yes dear.” Lidila replied, her voice calm.

Raina nodded and went to the living room, she grabbed a bottle of flavored vodka and left the apartment. They all watched her leave with alcohol in hand, Lidila sighed, dropping her heads in her hands.

“Eventhough you think we won’t survive, would it possible for you guys to still mentor us? I’d like to at least try to make it pass the bloodbath.” Thomras asked as he watched Raina leave. He knew he wouldn’t come back, but he’d seen Raina train with her brother and Finnick, she had a real chance to win, Cato and Brutus just didn’t know it yet.

“We have too, so we will, Brutus will mentor you while I will... deal with Raina.” Cato said candidly which made Brutus scoff.

“And to think I wanted to mentor her. Good luck with that one.” Brutus grumbled, getting up. “C’mon kid, we got work to do.” Thomras followed Brutus to the living room while Cato stayed seated with Lidila.

They could hear the chatter coming from the living room, Thomras firing questions after questions and Brutus answering all of them, surprisingly with a hint of enthusiasm.

“She’s not that bad you know.” Lidila said, breaking the silence at the table. Cato looked at her, skeptical. “We all saw the way those boys looked at her, it was truly horrifying Cato. But she stayed unfazed until we were in the elevator. I don’t know how she did it, I felt tears in my eyes just watching it play out, yet she showed nothing. Raina is strong... short tempered and stubborn but strong. She’ll win, I know she will. Just guide her in the right direction and please, don’t give up on her.”

Lidila got up, squeezing his shoulder as she passed by. Cato played back the escorts words again and again inside his head, he had some digging to do.


	5. What Are You Doing Here Besides Ruining My Buzz

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t be afraid to leave a comment! It’s always appreciated xx
> 
> Enjoy!

Raina sat down at the ledge of the roof, legs crossed right in front of the force field. She watched as the sun set, taking sips of alcohol, pondering how she would get through the next month. First she would need to study the other tributes, their strengths and weaknesses. Secondly she couldn’t let anyone know about her own skills, not even her mentors... especially not her mentors. Brutus and Cato had made it perfectly clear that they would much rather be with the tributes from their own District, they had no faith in her or Thomras. She would make sure the other tributes knew she wasn’t weak though, that she was hiding her skills, hopefully scare them a little.

She started feeling the effects of the alcohol when she heard the chim of the elevator. Not bothering to see who it was, Raina was about to take another swing when the bottle was ripped out of her hand.

“What the fu-“

“That’s enough for tonight.” Cato said monotone, setting the bottle on the ground away from her. Raina groaned, glaring at him. When he sat next to her she sighed, shaking her head.

“What are you doing here besides ruining my buzz?” She grumbled, still staring at him.

Cato looked at the view before them, ignoring his tribute’ sour mood. He didn’t want to start another argument with her but even though he’d known her for about two hours, Cato knew he wouldn’t be able to deal with her attitude for the next month so, they would talk frankly then put whatever angered her behind them.

“You’re just his type.” Cato said, looking at her from the corner of his eyes. He could see the look of total confusion spread across her face; eyes squinted, brows furrowed, mouth slightly open, nostrils flared. “Zeb, the male tribute from my District.” He saw her body stiffen at the mention of the boy.

“How unfortunate that he’ll be killed by his dream girl.” Raina muttered, looking back at the sky. The rose and oranges were slowly fading to that of the night, little stars appearing where it was darkest. “Oh wait, I forgot you don’t think I’ll make it pass the bloodbath.”

“I’ve seen Zeb and Devri train, I’ve helped them myself. They’re ruthless Raina. You couldn’t survive against them even if you tried.”

Raina was starting to get angry. Her own mentor had no faith in her and wasn’t afraid of telling her.

“You know everything about them, but you know nothing about me. So how dare you make any assumptions about how the games will play out? Weaker people than me have killed stronger people than you in the games. So why do you assume the big strong scary tributes from District 2 will win huh?” Raina said that last part mockingly, making show of her muscles to emphasize the ‘big scary tribute’. She had her brow raised up at him, challenging him to explain himself now.

Cato sighed and looked into her light green eyes. “You’re right, I don’t know anything about you, besides the fact that you’re stubborn and have a sharp tongue.”

“I’m more than a sharp tongue.” Raina whispered, bringing her knees to her chest. Cato turned so that he was facing her, she made herself into a tiny ball, looking pensively out towards the Capitol.

“How do you expect me to know you’re more than that if you keep giving me attitude and running off?” It was his turn to challenge her which she seemed to accept as she turned her head towards him, letting out a harsh exhale.

“I’m not usually like this honestly. Today was just...” She didn’t know what today had been. Boring, complicating, horrifying, unnerving maybe scary?

“A shit show.” Cato finished for her, giving Raina a faint smile.

She scoffed, but smiled nonetheless. “Sounds about right.”

They sat in silence each stealing glances from each other while the other wasn’t looking. This was the first time Raina was really paying attention to her mentor. He really was handsome, his short sandy blonde hair was longer on top, swooped partially to one side. His eyes were a light blue with a hint of grey; it reminded her of the sky before a storm, his jaw strong and sharp. She could see why he was a Capitol favourite.

“If you promise to reign back the attitude towards us I’ll help you, I’ll give you tips for fighting guys like Zeb.”

Raina looked at him puzzled. “Why would you do that?”

Cato shrugged, he stood up and motioned to the elevator. “There’s potential in you, I saw it when I saw the reaping and I don’t particularly care about the outcome of the games so why not make things interesting.”

Raina raised her brow, still skeptical about the brute before her. But again, his answer was honest, and she could tell that Cato didn’t give a shit about this whole situation. So she decided to give him a shot, she leapt off the ledge, grabbed the liquor bottle and followed him to the elevator.

Back in the apartment, the first thing Raina noticed was Thomras and Brutus talking eagerly about strategies. Confused, she looked up at Cato who just shrugged joining the pair. She followed him, siting down next to Thomras. Her light buzz had faded by now, in the back of her mind she wished she was black out drunk, so she could forget where she was but Raina couldn’t...

“Oh good, you’re here.” Thomras smiled, his voice cracking. “Now we can watch the reapings.” The boy grabbed the remote to press play on the playbacks of each District reaping. Quickly, while the escort from District 1 was doing her speech, Raina ran to her room grabbing a notebook and pen on her night stand. She got back just in time to see the female tribute volunteer. Seeing the girl, Raina started scribbling notes about her appearance, her attitude, the ‘aura’ she gave off. She could feel Cato’s eyes on her while she did so, but she couldn’t get distracted, her survival depended on every bit of information she gathered on the others.

Next was the boy from District 1 named Belber, her grip on the pen tightened as she remembered him and the guy from 2. The first thing Raina noted was how confident he sounded when he volunteered and how smugged he looked walking up to the stage. Belber was a typical career. She also noticed his frame, he wasn’t that tall or muscular so Raina assumed he was quick and technical.

District 2 came after that, where her mentors came from. The girl: Devri, was something else. She was taller than all the other girls, she matched the height of most boys her age. Her shoulders were wide and built, her legs powerful and free of fat. But what really caught Raina’s attention was her face. Devri had the body of a man but the face of an angel; every feature looked symmetrical and pure. Her eyes were crystal blue, her mouth large with thin pink lips. She was beautiful but Raina didn’t doubt for one second that Devri could pulverize her.

When she heard Zeb’s voice on the screen she paid very close attention. He looked bloodthirsty, like a savage. The crowd cheered his name as he stepped up to the stage, everyone knew who he was, they all knew what he was capable of which was an even bigger red flag for Raina. His fist were closed and raised in the air as he soaked up all the energy around him inflating his ego even more. The escort could barely be heard as everyone screamed his name over and over again... it made her sick. Zeb was large and ripped with dark chocolate skin, even through the screen Raina could see the veins popping out from his arms and neck. She only wrote one word next to his name:

Danger.

The kids from District 3 were young and weak. She wouldn’t have to worry about them as they would most likely die in the bloodbath.

Then Lidila appeared on the screen, and she felt her body tense once more. Raina would see herself on screen for the first time and was afraid of how she seemed, she hoped she hadn’t looked as in pain as she had felt when her name had been called. To her surprise, Raina was delighted to see how blank her face looked how she seemed to be void of any and all emotions. She sighed, relaxing a little now that she knew she hadn’t appeared weak.

“Were you scared to look weak or something?” Cato whispered in her ear. She hadn’t noticed him switching seats so that he sat beside her. His voice startled her, making her jump in surprise. Raina’s eyes met his, and she tapped her nose twice, telling him he was spot on like he had read her mind. He leaned in closer, his eyes darting from the screen back to hers.

“Don’t worry, you did good.” He gave her a faint smile, making her stomach clench on itself. Cato was so close to her, she could feel his breath on her cheek and could count the light freckles that spread about his nose. He smelled strangely like the outdoors a nice mixture of moss and bark. Cato smelled like a real man. Raina kept on staring at him, incapable of tearing her gaze away.

It was Thomras who brought her back to reality.

“I looked good.” Thomras gloated, his voice dragging and smooth. Raina snapped her head towards his then at the screen and back at him. She couldn’t help but giggle at the thirteen year old sitting next to her.

“That you did kid.” She laughed, nudging him with her shoulder. Thomras smirk and winked at her, making her laugh even more.

The rest of the tributes weren’t much to look at, like always. There were a few exceptions though, the boy from District 8 — Calvin and the boy from District 10 — Jude.

It neared midnight when they were done watching all reapings from the twelve Districts and Raina started to feel the effects her first hectic day had on her. Closing the television, she hoisted herself off the couch, mumbling a goodnight to the three men in the living room. Thormas was the only one to bid her goodnight. In her bedroom, Raina slipped off her silk shorts and removed her bra from under her shirt and slipped underneath the covers.

She sighed in contempt curling her body up in a ball, her face between the two pillows.

That night, for the first time in years, Raina had nightmares.


	6. I’ve Been Watching You Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Sexual content (ish) 
> 
> Calvin: young Christian Coulson
> 
> Leave a comment and enjoy! xx

The next morning, Raina was awoken by a loud thud on her door. She growled, rising the covers above her head and turning away from the door. She thought she was in the clear to fall back asleep when no knocking was heard after a few minutes, so she tried going back to sleep. Right when sleep was about to take her, her bedroom door slammed open.

“Get your ass out of bed.” Brutus all but shouted at her, his frame blocking the entrance.

Raina shot up, frightened. “I’m up! I’m up.” Her eyes were wide, her hair a tousled mess. Brutus was frowning at her with his arms crossed, obviously not impressed with her current state.

“Training starts today, get dressed and eat. You have 15 minutes.” He tossed her training uniform on her dresser then left.

Raina sighed and threw the covers off her body, the warmth of the covers was replaces by the chill of her room. She grabbed her suit then headed to the bathroom to get ready. Seeing her messy hair, Raina threw her head back and groaned in defeat... she’d have to tie it in a bun, making her hair even more tangled. She stripped and slipped into the suit for training, it surprised her when she felt how light and stretchy the materiel was, and she could tell it was resistant. Her pants were black with two red strips on both sides of her leg and even though the materiel clung to her, Raina felt like she could move with ease. The shirt was the same, black with red strips that ran down the side of her torso, tight with short sleeved.

Throwing on black socks and tying her shoes, Raina put on deodorant and grabbed a hair brush then headed for the dinning room.

Everyone was already there, eating and talking. Raina sat down next to Lidila and tried as best she could to brush out the knots in her hair.

“Put the brush down and eat darling, you’ll need the strength.” Lidila said, patting her shoulder.

“What I need to do is untangle this mess, so I can train properly.” Lidila sighed when Raina refused to cooperate, so she stood, taking the brush from her tribute’s hand and started brushing Raina’s hair. Lidila had never done something like this for a tribute, usually she tended to be more professional and kept her distance. However, Raina seemed to have this effect on her. Lidila admired her inner power, her ability to stay calm when faced with trouble... like with the male career tributes. Lidila loved how she wasn’t afraid to stand up to people twice her size, the poor thing was so short. The capitol escort had loved that girl since she joined her on stage at the reaping.

“Lids, you don’t have to do th-“

“Be quiet and eat dear, I’ll do it.”

Raina smiled back at the Capitolian and placed food on her plate. She wasn’t particularly hungry in the mornings but decided, for Lidila, that she would eat a generous amount.

She ate, relished in the feeling of having someone play in her hair again. Lidila’s hands were gentle yet got the job done of removing the knots from her locks. Raina couldn’t help but moan when she ran her hands near her temples, Lidila’s touch was magic.

Cato watched as Raina all but forget the food in front of her, completely engrossed in the feeling of Lidila brushing her hair. He found it almost erotic, her moans combined with her expression of pure bliss made the space in his pants tighten uncomfortably. He crossed his legs and tried to focus on what Brutus was telling him. It was harder than he thought, as his mind filled with different scenarios of Raina making those same sounds only, he would be the cause. Cato could she her back arched as he lay between her legs or her head snapped back as she rode his thick member. When the pictures filled across his mind Cato found himself instantly disgusted with himself. She was his tributes! Being sent to her death nonetheless... and here he was thinking of all the ways he could make her scream his name. What bothered him more than anything else wasn’t the fact that she was almost four years younger or that she managed to get him rock hard in front of his colleague and old mentor, it was the fact that he was her mentor. Cato had a responsibility towards the girl, to guide her and make sure she would win.

Cato’s brows furrowed... he wanted her to win. Why? He hadn’t figured that part out yet. She was physically fit, but not enough to take on the careers. He could tell she was smart and determined, Raina had a goal and would stop at nothing to achieve it. Maybe it was her drive to win that made him hope she would beat his own District tributes.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed everyone preparing to leave.

“Pretty boy!” Raina barked, her hands on her hips.

Cato shot his gaze at her, still frowning. “What?” He asked, his voice a bit harsher than intended. Raina raised a brow at his tone of voice, trying to calm her nerves.

“Are you coming with us or not?”

Cato looked around seeing everyone, including Brutus ready to leave. “Ya, coming.” He mumbled, pushing his chair back, striding towards them.

As soon as they entered the elevator Brutus spoke: “For the next few days focus on survival skills, making a fire, how to find water and what plants you can and can’t eat.”

“Most importantly don’t show your skills, we’ll work on those individualy back in the loft.” Cato added as the door opened to the first floor. Cato and Brutus stepped out, holding the doors so it wouldn’t close just yet.

“We’ll be with the other mentors and Gamemarkers watching in the gallery.” Cato finished, letting the elevator continue its course down to the basement. Raina and Thomras were the last ones to arrive, much to her displeasure. They were shoved forward by Lidila saying that dinner would be ready when they came back.

Raina stayed stoic and placed a hand on Thomras’ shoulder guiding them to the group. They all stared at them, so she just ignored them, her eyes glued to the lady standing above them.

“Now that we have everyone, let us begin.” She paused, bringing her hands behind her back. “In one month, 23 of you will be dead and one of you will be alive. Who that is depends on how well you pay attention this week, particularly to what I’m about to say. First no fighting with the other tributes you’ll have plenty of time for that in the arena...”

Raina felt that familiar nauseating feeling of someone watching her. She wasn’t surprised to find Zeb looking at her intensely. She couldn’t help but raise her eyebrow, trying tell him to pay attention. His look became menacing, like a hunter about to kill his prey, but she tried not to show how uncomfortable it made her. Raina decided that rolling her eyes ever so slightly was the best way not to show weakness.

“There are four compulsory exercises the rest will be individual training. My advice is don’t ignore the survival skills; everybody wants to grab a sword but most of you will die of natural causes: 10% from infections, 20% from dehydration... exposure can kill as easily as a knife. As for the next three weeks you all have access to a personnel gym, mentors and Capitol trainers. Use your time wisely. You may go.”

While everyone dispersed, Raina stayed put, trying to decide on what course of action she should take. She looked at the double short swords and her fingers ached to wield them, but she couldn’t show her skills, making herself look talentless was going to be harder than she thought. She cursed Tammer and Finnick in her mind, damn bastards made her incapable of being near her favourite weapon without wanting to use it.

Raina turned on her heels and looked at the room where the mentors and Gamemakers sat. She smiled when she saw Finnick walking in. He smiled and waved at her which she returned without a second thought. ‘I miss you’ He mouthed making the gesture he, Raina and Tammer invented as children. Raina repeated it. With her fist closed, she dragged her thumb from the middle of her forehead, down her nose until it reached her lips. She kissed her thumb and raised it discreetly into the air. It was a simple gesture that meant a lot to all three of them. It meant strength, patience and percervirence.

When Finnick was distracted by another mentor coming to greet him, Raina decided she should probably start learning some basic survival skills. When she saw that no one was at the water station Raina made her way there, unaware of the man sitting next to Finnick was glaring at her. At the station, a trainer came right to her aide. He first told her about potential areas water could be found in different types of environments and what to do if the arena was so extreme that water would be for sure inaccessible.

It was a scary thought to Raina not having drinkable water around, it either meant that the only water supplies would be at the cornucopia, or she would have to get sponsors... The thoughts of having to get sponsors didn’t really appeal to her. Half way through the first part of the day, Raina decided to switch to fire making.

Her whole focus was rooted on the fire she was trying to make when the lunch bell sounded, she wasn’t all that hungry but Raina thought it would be a good time to scope out the competition.

Once again, Raina was the last one to join the rest of the group who all seemed to have already formed clicks.

She didn’t pay too much attention to what she put on her tray, grabbing a bit of everything. She decided to sit alone in the far right corner of the space where she could eye the other tributes. Thomras was sitting with the girl from 8 who appeared to be his age, along with her district partner Calvin. The older one seemed to care genuinely for the girl and Thomras laughed and joked with both of them which Raina assumed was a good thing. Of course the careers all sat together, smug and cocky, they too observing the tributes for their biggest competition.

Something Raina did find quite odd was Devri. She seemed bored and rather underwhelmed with the members of her alliance. The blond amazon ate her food in silence, nodding her head here and there.

Raina knew she had looked at Devri too long when the girl looked up at her. She gave her a faint smile that didn’t entirely reach her eyes. Raina nodded back and absentmindedly continued to eat her food, she still had no idea what she was putting in her mouth but it would satisfy her body until supper.

She stood up to leave when most of the tributes had finished, she just left her tray on the table and walked back to the fire making station.

It took her a few more hours to make her first fire and Raina all but exploded with joy. Seeing the twigs glow, she blew on them until they caught flame; added bigger twigs then branches. With the flames flickering steadily and the instructor telling her she had succeeded, Raina groaned and laid down on the ground with a loud thud. She couldn’t contain the smile that appeared on her face, she was so proud of herself for making a single fire - which took her about three hours to achieve - her reaction was a bit over the top, but she just couldn’t help herself.

She laid there, her eyes closed with a stupid grin on her face when a shadow crept over her, making her smile vanish. Opening her eyes, Raina found the boy from District 8 looking down at her, frowning.

“You look ridiculous laying here.” He said, his voice low with a small lisp. Raina mirrored his expression, not moving an inch.

“It’s ridiculous of you to care.” She mumbled back.

“Never said I cared.”

Raina scoffed and propped herself up on her elbows. “Why are you here telling me I look ridiculous when you could’ve just walked on by?” She challenged, raising her eyebrow. The boy’s rough facade broke and a grin spread across his features.

“Fair enough. I’m Calvin.” he extended his hand towards her to help her up. 

“I know.”

“How-“

“I watched the reapings.” Raina cut him off, grabbing his wrist to let him help her get up. Once face to face, she took in every detail of him physically. Average high, well developed muscles, firm grip, black slicked back hair that had way too much product in it, and dark brown eyes. “I’m Raina.”

He nodded his head and crossed his arms watching around them.

“I noticed the careers have taken a liking to you, especially the boy from 2.” Raina scoffed, turning to face where he was looking. All four careers were starring at the both of them, it was only Devri who didn’t appear to be fazed by her and Calvin talking.

“We all noticed, trust me.” Raina muttered, looking back at them, her gaze empty.

“We?” Calvin questioned, turning his gaze down at her. Raina shrugged, eyes locked with Zeb’s.

“My mentors - those who are actually mentoring me and the ones from my district, my escort, my stylists... the only person who I doubt noticed is the boy from my district.”

“Thomras?”

Raina nodded and turned her attention to Thomras who was being taught how to use a bow from the girl he had befriended.

“Lou likes him, he’s a good kid from what I’ve seen.” Raina couldn’t help but smile at that.

“You seem to be looking out for Lou.”

Calvin pondered her statement for some time, like the thought of him protecting Lou hadn’t occurred to him. It had occurred to Raina that she should probably help and protect Thomras once in the arena, but she knew she couldn’t. Not only because Raina wanted to win to go back to Tammer but because she knew she wouldn’t be able to kill him. So she kept her distance, tried not to get to know him too much.

“Guess I am. I doubt I’ll win, so I might as well make sure Lou does.”

“That’s very noble of you.”

He gave her a weak smile and squeezed her shoulder. “Right then, I’ll let you go back to your... relaxing?” Raina chuckled and turned back to her station in a happier mood.

She spent the rest of training period practising how to build a fire more rapidly, three hours for a puny fire was not going to cut it once in the arena. When the bell wrung signalling the end of training, Raina was pleased to see that she could now build a fire under 20 minutes without help. It wasn’t good enough but it would do for the time being.

Raina stood and made her way to the elevator when someone grabbed her arm. The grip on her was unnecessarily strong and it would most likely leave bruises. She slowly turned her head to the side and her eyes met with brown ones, almost black. Zeb lowered his face so his lips could graze her ear when he spoke to her.

“I’ve been watching you four.” Zeb paused, breathing harshly in her ear trying to insight a reaction out of her. Raina wanted to burst into tears, the energy this boy projected was so toxic and suffocating and the fact that he was slightly obsessed with her made the hairs at the back of her neck rise. Danger, she thought, this boy will destroy me. Her heart was pounding so hard, she felt like it would burst out of her chest at any given time. She could feel the sweat form on her upper lip and her muscles tensing. “You won’t need to make a fire in the arena sweetheart, I’ll be there to keep you warm at night.”

“Can’t do that if I kill you first.” Raina replied, barely above a whisper. The tremble in her voice made any chance she had to look confidente, vanish. She focused her gaze on the weapon rack beside them, her head still facing Zeb’s general direction. His fingers squeezed her arm more, her words either angering him or turning him on. She heard him inhale her scent and exhale right behind her ear, his lips touched her ear, and she felt his tongue poke out.

Zeb moaned, his other hand reaching around her back resting on her hip. “I was hoping you’d be a challenge. I knew the moment I saw you that you’d be perfect. Such a shame we’re in here together.” He paused, he pressed himself against her and Raina could feel his erection on the small of her back. “See how you affect me?” Zeb started grinding into her and that’s when she had had enough. Raina tore herself away from him and turned to face him. Now she wasn’t just scared and disgusted with him, she was enraged. She walked up to him and looked up, pointing her finger right in his cheek, digging in the skin.

“You touch me again and I guarantee you you’ll never feel that feeling between your legs ever again.” She spun around, scratching him in the processes and calmly went to the elevator. Raina and Zeb had been the only ones left, so she was alone in one of the two elevators. She leaned back on the wall and watched Zeb as the doors closed. The bastard had a sick grin on his face, and he was palming his erection.

It was only when she felt the elevator rising did Raina let out a long rugged breath she hadn't realised she had been holding. She dropped to the floor, her heart beating way too fast, her body trembling more than it should. Raina bursted into tears, she could still feel his breath in her ear, his member on her. She clutched onto herself and rocked her body ever so slightly trying to calm herself down.

She didn’t notice the elevator stopping on her floor, or heard the doors slid open. Raina just sobbed, rolled up in a ball in the corner. It was Cato’s voice that brought her back to reality.

“Raina, shh it’s ok.” Raina shot her head up and gawked at her mentor. The man who usually looked so strong and ferocious was crouched down in front of her, his body small and his face soft. His body was placed so the doors wouldn’t close on them.

She kept her focus on Cato, knowing he was here with her made Raina feel somewhat safer. The tribute didn’t say anything she simply cried, saliva dripping from her lips and her nose all stuffy.

“Let’s get you out of here ya?” Cato said, inviting Raina into her arms. She gladly crawled into the older man’s arms and let herself be helped to her feet. When she stood Cato hoisted her into his arms and carried her inside. She hadn’t noticed the others standing around her, the simple comfort of being in Cato’s arms was enough to drown everything else out; she grasped onto his shirt like her life depended on it and wept. Raina knew she probably looked like a pathetic child but right now she didn’t care, she could be embarrassed later.

Once in her room he gently sat her down and Raina immediately curled back into a ball. Her sobs were hushed but her body still shook, it was almost violent. Not knowing what do to Cato sat on the bed next to her. The girl cuddled up to him and wrapped her arms around his middle, needing to feel safe. Cato stroked her hair away from her face and watched as her feature soften. The tears had stopped now and her breathing even. He figured she had fell asleep, it was easy to tell how distraught she had been just by the sound of her cries, it must had tired her out.

He stayed with her until he was certain she was deep in slumber. Cato unwrapped her arms from him and shimmied out, grabbing a blanket on the chair near her bed he draped it over her and left the room, closing the door gently behind him.

Lidila, Brutus, Finnick, Mags, and Thomras were all sitting around the couch, no one was talking, the atmosphere was tense and gloomy. Finnick was the first to notice his return and bolted up.

“How is she?” Cato knew Finnick and Raina had known each other out of the games but not to what extent. From the looks of the young victor, it was clear the two were very close. Finnick’s voice was filled with concern and panic, his face the same.

“Fell asleep, she probably tired herself out.”

“Why was she crying?” Thomras asked, he too worried. No one really knew what to tell him because they themselves didn’t know.

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out. Now go wash up, dinner’s gonna be ready soon.” Cato sighed when the boy didn’t question the matter further and left the adults.

Tonight was going to be a long night.


End file.
